I really enjoyed this book! The fake dating trope is always fun and I thought their relationship dynamic was cute. Plus, I love Bollywood and Bollywood movies, so that added to the fun for me.

This is a sweet book. The characters are great and I love the depiction of many different types of family dynamics. The two main characters really grow into their own and I appreciate that there is no miscommunication or third act breakup that feels disingenuous to the story.

-fake dating
-he falls first
-found family
-.5 spice

This is a sweet, cute and perfect Bollywood Vibe Romance.
Tropes: Fake dating, Barista x Photographer, One bed trope, Set In Bangalore, Slow Burn, He fell First
I liked this more than “Match me If you Can”, may be because the characters are relatable in this book.
Harsha Godbole a budding Photographer who came to Bangalore after leaving her rich parents to become an independent one and do what she loves. Veer Kannan a barista who wants to become an Actor. They start to fake-date to appear as a couple for Harsha’s cousin wedding and in return Veer could pay off his brother MBA tuition.
Their chemistry is just perfect. The is evident while reading, along with sweet glances and stolen touches. The slow burn is done really well without making you lose interest. What I loved the most is Veer’s attentiveness to little things which make the most loveable. One of my favourite scene is where he learns and ties the saree for her.

Cherry on top is the Quote from various show at the beginning of each chapter.
Apart from romance this book perfectly depicted the family issues, Indian Culture in the book through the wedding and food choices. All the characters really bring out the emotions especially Pinky Aunty & Veer’s Mom.

What I didn’t like is the Third-act breakup, how Veer behaved in the end made Harsha feel. Its just felt unnecessary and can sense it coming. Expected some grovelling from Veer…

Perfect romance book for the Love season 🥰

Thank You NETGALLEY and Random House Publishing Group/Ballantine/Dell for this ARC !

Can't Help Falling in Love is a fun fake-dating tale set in Bangalore, filled with Bollywood and filmi vibes, meddling family members, and two individuals who find themselves falling in love and facing challenges and triumphs alike. Highly recommend this read from Swati Hegde! Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this ARC.

I enjoyed Swati Hegde's debut novel, Match Me If You Can, so I was excited to be able to read the ARC for this book as well!

This book was exactly what I expected- full of tropes and predictable twists and turns, equivalent to a Hallmark movie. But that isn't a negative- everyone needs a little hope and love in their lives, and this type of media can be a great way to find that.

I enjoyed seeing more of India through the author's eyes, not only in the locations but in the various experiences that the characters had throughout the story. I love learning more about other cultures through reading, and I appreciated that this book had that aspect.

3.5 stars rounded up!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the e-ARC!

First of all I love the cover! It definitely made me want to read the book. The story was very well written and I could not put it down!

First and foremost, a special thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

There were many times after sitting through hours of Bollywood movie marathons, I would begin to search high and low for a book that could replicate the magical vibes Indian Rom-Coms give off. Finally, I found that book.

This book low-key gives forbidden love vibes in the sense that both main characters come from very distinct social classes. Harsha, a socialite amateur photographer, meets Veer, a barista dreaming of one day becoming an actor. She proposes a contract that will help get her family off her back about having a significant other and get Veer into the Bollywood scene: fake dating.

I absolutely loved this book. The pace, the chemistry between the MCs, the bits and pieces of Indian culture weaved into the story, the difficult topic of duty, the complexity behind family, and the serendipity of love. It was all weaved perfectly into a beautiful story. Not to mention, this was a closed-door romance but the steaminess was still in the room with us as we read.

Honestly, someone call Dharma Productions because I need this on screen now. Giving this beauty a 4.3

I thought this book was really cute. I loved the dynamic between the main characters - they were both funny, relatable and their banter was so good! I love that she showed multiple family dynamics while showing some hardships of Indian family culture. I definitely feel like some things left you wondering like Harsha/Veer dealt with their family issues after they came to head. Outside of that, the story was super cute and a really quick read. I would give it 3.5 stars but will round up to 4. Thanks to Netgalley for this ARC!

Thank you to Dell and NetGalley for the advance reader copy of Can’t Help Faking in Love by Swati Hegde!

At the beginning of the book, Harsha is broken up with before her cousin’s upcoming wedding. Since her family knows she had been seeing someone she suddenly finds herself without the boyfriend her family believes she has. As a result of a misunderstanding, Harsha ends up asking Veer, a barista at the coffee shop she visits, to pose as her fake boyfriend. Veer, an aspiring actor and is suddenly supporting his brother’s education in business school, takes the opportunity Harsha presents to him so that he can help his brother and it just so happens Harsha’s family is big in Bollywood.

Harsha and Veer have such cute chemistry. I enjoyed Harsha’s pursuit of her own path and career separate from her family. Veer is adorable in how he tries to resist acting on his growing feelings for Harsha throughout their arrangement. Veer’s friend group is also a highlight for me and how they support him through the fake dating situation he’s found himself in.

If you enjoy a fake dating romance, this is one to check out!

I loved this book! Thank you so much to the publishers and author for the digital ARC. This was such a pleasure to read. The main characters are so likable, but my favorite character was Pinky. (Everyone deserves an aunt like Pinky in their lives!) This was a cozy, quick read with feel-good vibes. I loved reading about the different locations in India — it was great to break away from the usual American- or English-centric stories I most often read. I will definitely be reading more from this author!

Billionaire heiress returns home to India after attending college in the States. She has no job, her boyfriend has just broken up with her, and refuses to fall back on her parents money. After running into her cousin at a local bar, said heiress recruits her local barista to be her fake boyfriend. The pair get close as they prepare to attend her aunt’s party.

I really tried with this one but the writing was just too cheesy. Interesting concept though!

I was obsessed with @swatihegdeauthor 's debut romcom Match Me If You Can, so I was thrilled to read an ARC of her next book Can't Help Faking In Love from @netgalley! This book really has it all: a delightful lack of beds, cuddling 😉, fake dating, beautiful writing, gorgeous setting, and chemistryyyyy for dayyyssss 🔥! I'm also completely in love with this cover as well as the cover of Match Me If You Can -- the details! The colors! The borders!

💜 🌿

Here's the blurb:

A young woman with Bollywood roots hires a barista to act as her boyfriend for her cousin’s wedding—only to learn you can’t fake chemistry like theirs—in this desi romance from the author of Match Me If You Can 🌿 💜
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Harsha Godbole has never felt love from her family, but she’s always been surrounded by their Bollywood business mogul wealth. Now back in Bangalore after studying in America, Harsha is ready to start her adult life without their money. But that becomes impossible when everything she’s worked so hard for comes crumbling down. Fearful of showing up to her cousin’s upcoming wedding as a failure—and worse, a single failure—Harsha decides to put her trust fund to good use . . . 

Veer Kannan does everything for his family. He even gave up his dreams of becoming a Bollywood star to get a more consistent gig . . . although working as a barista wasn’t really the big break he was hoping for. It’s a humble life, but a happy one, nonetheless. Then financial aid falls through for his brother’s first year in business school, so now Veer needs to come up with a large sum of money, and fast.

Harsha’s outlandish plan to hire her favorite barista as her fake boyfriend for the weekend-long wedding bash is received surprisingly well by Veer, who hopes this will be his ticket to Bollywood. But Harsha and Veer get way more than they bargained for in this heartwarming journey to finding unexpected love and courage.

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#canthelpfakinginlove #bookstagram #amreading #amreadingromance #romancebooks

Can't Help Faking in Love fell a little flat for me. It read more like a YA book and I was looking for more in-depth characterization. It was still a great read and I loved learning more about the culture of India.

Thank you, NetGalley and Random House for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This delightful fake dating romance is filled with humor and clever characters that keep you engaged from start to finish. The author skillfully develops the storyline and the chemistry between Harsha and Veer, making it impossible not to root for them throughout their journey. I found myself particularly invested in their relationship, while having less than favorable thoughts about Harsha's parents. The plot is well-crafted, with plenty of witty banter and relatable moments that add depth to the characters. Overall, it’s an enjoyable and heartwarming read that you definitely shouldn’t overlook!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book ahead of the publishing date. This book was a bit different from other books I have read because the female lead was financially independent and it was the male lead who was struggling with money. I really enjoyed her ability to be the heroine! Sometimes, you have every intention of pacifying family and their demands. However, when it comes to love, sometimes chemistry is where you least expect it.

This is a true romcom. There are funny moments as they practice touching each other and run through getting to know you questionnaires.This was such a cute read!

Overall an OK read. FMC is a rich could-be socialite who decided to branch out on her own without her family's money. MMC is a barista looking to get a break into the film industry, but has familial obligation. They come upon an agreement and so begins the fake boy/girlfriend to lovers trope. The cover is beautiful and I was looking forward to reading this. However, it felt flat for me. I didn't feel for any of the characters, and it felt very superficial. When they inevitably ended up together, I didn't fell a sense of relief or accomplishment or joy. The "conflict" in the story wasn't a big deal at all, so it didn't pull any emotions from me, nor did I feel that characters had to work for anything. This read more like a YA novel than an adult romance.

Thanks to netgalley for a digital copy.

This was such a fun concept for a romance novel, it had that element that I was looking for and enjoyed the Bollywood element to this. The characters worked well with the story and was engaged with the romance that was happening. I thought it worked well as a romance and loved that he was hired as a bodyguard. I can’t wait to read more from Swati Hegde as this was wonderfully done.

This is a sweet romance, with some great chemistry and some fun secondary characters. I believed the romance between Harsha and Veer and was rooting for them the whole time!

Unfortunately, there’s a lot of character development that happens off page, which made it hard for me to engage as much as I wanted. And some of the writing felt more like YA, which was off putting considering the character ages.

Three stars. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Yet another wonderful read from Swati Hegde. I was slightly wary at the beginning because I'm not the biggest fan of fake dating for money, but I thought the plot actually came together quite well and I enjoyed all of the twists and turns!! I also really enjoyed reading a romance that doesnt take place in the US - I now want to travel to Bangalore!! This is a great read, especially for fans of fake dating!